


Planetary

by Bablefishmouse



Series: Fictober 2016 [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Background War, Fictober 2016, Multi, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 11:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8326102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bablefishmouse/pseuds/Bablefishmouse
Summary: An Unusual Naboo Harvest Ball, where Princess Padme Amidala meets friends and enemies alike, both new and old.





	

_Planetary - relating or belonging to a planet or planets._

* * *

 

The Naboo Harvest Ball, despite its name, only arrived once every four years. It had, over the years, developed a reputation for almost complete neutrality, and hence, attracted all of the young royalty and dignitaries from across the Republic and beyond.

This year was different from most of those previous. It had been a while since the system had been involved in a war with a split this divisive. It had been almost as long since a Princess of Naboo attended. The Monarch, always. But the Princess?

It was rather understandable that Padme was a little nervous, standing there, waiting outside the doors of the ball. Sabe, her oldest friend, handmaiden, and personal security officer, rested her hand on her arm briefly.

“You will be amazing.” Sabe told her sincerely.  

“Thank-you,” Padme said, then stood up straight, and pulled herself together. Right, just a ball. She took a step forwards, signalling that she was ready to go in.

Then the doors opened and the noise burst in.

She walked out onto the top of the staircases and descended, watching the crowd. Watching the crowd watch her. Why hadn’t she got a double to do this?

She walked out onto the dance floor. The crowd parting easily, creating a bubble.

Prince Bail Organa approached, and bowed, bursting the illusion. “Your Highness,”

“Your highness,” Padme repeated, and curtsied. The crowd finally turned back to their own affairs. “Thank-you for the save,” she murmered.

“You’re welcome,” Her old friend said, offering his arm and leading her into the middle of the throng. “Now in return, why don’t you tell me if the Duchess Breha is here?”

Ah, and there was the ulterior motive. Padme smiled, she’d come prepared. “She was specifically invited, and yes she accepted it, so she should be here somewhere.” Padme looked around. “By the refreshments table, as a matter of fact.”

Bail spotted the familiar brown crown of hair. “Thank-you,” He bowed again, “If you will excuse me, your highness.”

Padme watched him disappear before turning around and scanning the guests, looking for anyone else she actually wanted to talk to. The fading ginger hair hovering near the edge of the room was certainly promising. If she was right about who that was she certainly hadn’t seen them in a while. She wove around people, largely ignored, until she could see clearly.

Pleased, Padme made her way towards them. Then she stopped, a few feet away, upon realising that Prince Obi-Wan Kenobi was already being bugged.

“Seriously…” The other man complained.

Padme assessed him. Younger than Kenobi, dark blonde hair, scar through his cheek. Very compelling, a little dangerous.

Also clearly knew Obi-Wan well. “Obi-Wan, why are you being such a buzzkill? Just go and talk to her, or let me talk to her.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed. “Please don’t.”

“How long have we known each other?” The man, presumably Anakin, asked him, much to Padme’s amusement.

“Too long,” Obi-Wan muttered with fond irritation. He cast his eyes out onto the dance floor in mock frustration.  Then saw her.

Padme hid her laugh at his momentarily stunned expression, choosing to join them instead. “Prince Kenobi, it’s been too long.” She curtsied lightly then leant in and kissed his cheek.  “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your friend.”

She turned towards the other gentleman, noting the way his eyes seemed to shift in the light. “I’m Padme,” she introduced herself.

“Anakin,” he said, “and I’d certainly remember meeting you,” he swept a low bow. “Your highness,”

Obi-Wan sighed. He might have muttered “Anakin” under his breath. No-one could prove it.  

“So, Anakin,” Padme said, with a glance back to Obi-Wan, “What do you do regularly?”

“Oh, I make droids” Anakin said, his face lighting up, eyes sparkling. “I’m currently upgrading one of my earliest models. Threepio is what got me started really, but I’ve learnt so much since then and when they asked for an upgrade I can’t deny I was excited at the opportunity, Tatooine doesn’t really require much guidance after all, especially from me, I spend most of my time with this guy around the place anyway, so-“ Anakin suddenly realised that it had been a polite question and he’d been rambling. “Sorry,”

Padme smiled at him, watching the way he coloured. Then she turned to Obi-Wan. “I see why you two get on.”

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. “Yes, well. It’s good to see you again Princess Amidala.”

“Obi-Wan,” Padme said warningly, “I know it hasn’t been that long that you’ve forgotten.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said, in exactly the same tone of politeness. “Your highness,” His eyes lit up at the end, betraying the humour he felt.

Padme noticed. “Just for that I’m accosting your companion.”

With perfect timing, the orchestra started the opening lines of a dance. Padme turned back to Anakin, “Would you care to?”

He offered her his arm, “My thanks, your highness.”

They travelled onto the dance floor and took up their starting positions.

“You do know this one don’t you?” Padme checked just as the final notes of the introduction sounded.

“Let’s hope,” Anakin said, before starting the first steps.

The two of them were about midway through the first section of the dance before something shifted in the atmosphere. Nothing tangible, but when Anakin next looked at Padme it was with a frown on his face, not a slightly besotted smile.

“Something’s wrong.” Anakin muttered as the two turned past each other. “Where’s Obi-Wan?”

Padme scanned the room as she turned through the next swirls of the dance, now on autopilot. Where was he? She looked for the familiar fading ginger hair. Where was he? Where?

She shook her head at Anakin as they passed again.

He shook his at her.

 He couldn’t see him either.

He was probably fine, after all Padme knew that the Duchess Satine was here, those two had been fond of each other. They’d probably just stepped out. It was fine. Right?

She mentioned as much to Anakin as they joined together for the third and final section of the dance.

“We saw Satine recently, they were at serious odds.” Anakin denied, “Besides she’s over there,” He nodded towards the stairs.

Sure enough Padme spotted her childhood friend.

A moment later, turned around she spotted a slightly annoyed looking Obi-Wan. She let out a sigh of relief. “He’s behind you, by the wall.”

Anakin began to relax, then stopped. “Something still feels-“

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before the bomb exploded.

Padme lifted her head up, blinking the dust out of her eyes even as the ringing in her ears refused to abate. She pushed back, until she was sitting upright and looked around. There were people everywhere. The ringing was slowly being joined by a chorus of coughing.

A hand stuck in her vision. Then it was replaced by a face as the figure bent down. Anakin.

“Padme?” He offered her his hand again, “Are you alright?”

Padme, unsure, nodded. Then took his hand and stood upright. “I’m alright, I think.” The dust began to tickle the back of her throat creating an itch she could never reach. “What happened?”

“Bomb, I think.” Anakin said, “Can you see?”

“You need to get out of here.” Obi-Wan laid a hand on both their shoulders surprising them. “That was meant for you.”

“It’s the Naboo Harvest Ball,” Padme said, “It could have been meant for anyone. The people need to know I’m alright.”

A gunshot sounded out as Obi-Wan pulled Padme to the side.

She stared at the hole in the floor by her foot for a moment, then nodded. “Right, now you-“ a thought occurred to her, “Obi-Wan do you trust Anakin absolutely?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan didn’t think about it.

“Then both of you follow me.” Padme picked up her long skirts and ran across the room to one of the smaller doors most of the guests would have ignored. She opened it and pulled them both into a small passage, slamming the door behind them.

Then she slumped against the wall. “We need to get moving, I know.” Padme said, and pressed her face to her hands. “I need to change. I need to get my blasters and I need to go and sort out who’s alive. Just give me a moment.”

Padme took a deep breath in. Like she was taught. They knew this could happen. She needed to get back to Sabe.

Obi-Wan hovered his hand above her shoulder. Padme caught sight of it and nodded. He pressed down and squeezed. “It’ll be alright.”

“No,” Padme said, standing upright and making her decision. “It won’t. But standing here won’t help.”

She started walking down the passage. “Are you two coming?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank-you for reading! Please leave a comment, Let me know what you thought!


End file.
